1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a coupon print promotional vehicle for the stimulation of retail sales by mail distribution of printed redemption or cash discount coupons.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Printed cash discount coupons for the improvement of retail sales of items require inexpensive distribution vehicles because of the large volume of coupons which must be distributed in order to attain a viable improvement in retail sales. The ubiquitous consumer can only be reached in volume with these coupons through the use of inexpensive mass distribution media, since otherwise the cost of distribution of the coupons becomes prohibitive relative to the sales improvement accomplished. Thus, small incremental improvements in the cost of the distribution package results in impressive overall cost savings, because of the enormous volume of coupons distributed annually to potential consumers in this country, which basically is a consumer-oriented society.
A high average coupon redemption rate, typically up to 11%, has been attained in the prior art via direct mail insertion, in which a group of coupons together with associated descriptive and sales material is inserted in an envelope for direct mailing to the consumer. Each coupon is generally part or all of an individual paper panel, and a group of discrete individual panels is mailed as a unitary package. The panels are not connected to each other in any way in the package, but are merely jointly inserted in an envelope. When the consumer receives the package via direct mail, each panel must be separately perused. The panels generally contain, in addition to the coupons per se, printed messages describing the items, and/or illustrations of the items such as graphic arts illustrations, photographs, etc., together with sales promotional material. This prior art method of distributing cash discount or redemption coupons has proven to be quite practical and successful; however, the cost of preparing the package for direct mailing is quite high since the individual coupons must be collated and the package individually assembled. The envelopes must be closed, sealed, addressed and stamped. A typical cost per thousand coupons distributed via this method is on the order of $13.50, and when it is considered that these coupons are distributed by the millions, it is apparent that substantial distribution costs due to labor, handling etc., are encountered by the direct mail insertion method of redemption or cash discount coupon distribution.
Other prior art media for coupon distribution include magazine pop-up inserts, in which a paper or paperboard insert is bound into a magazine so that when the magazine is read, the reader upon turning the pages will be confronted with the pop-up insert upon reaching a certain or specific page. This method of distributing redemption or cash discount coupons generally has a lower average redemption rate than direct mail insert, however magazine pop-ups have attained a degree of success since the cost per thousand coupons distributed is generally lower than with direct mail insertion. In addition, direct mail insert is subject to constantly increasing cost pressures since mailing rates for this type of distribution are generally increasing and are expected to further escalate in the future. A typical cost per thousand pop-up coupons is about $9.00.
Another form of prior art coupon distribution media is the printing of coupons directly on the pages of a magazine or newspaper. This requires the consumer to use a scissors to cut out the coupon for redemption, and also necessitates mutilation of the page and loss by the consumer of whatever may be printed on the backside of the coupon. Thus in many instances the consumer may be reluctant to cut out the coupon, especially in the case of magazines which the consumer may wish to retain, e.g., in instances where an article of interest is at least partially printed on the backside of the coupon. The per thousand cost of such coupons is about $6.50.
Finally, another media for distributing coupons is free standing inserts, which are generally placed in newspapers, especially Sunday editions. These free standing inserts are subject to the same objection as is encountered with on-page printing in magazines or newspapers, namely that in practice the average redemption rate is very low, typically on the order of 3 to 5%, so that even though the cost per thousand to distribute the coupons is low, about $5.55, it has been established in the art that the actual cost per coupon redeemed is quite high.
A better evaluation of coupon costs is the cost per coupon redeemed. By this measure the per coupon cost of direct mail insertion is about 12 cents, of pop-up about 10 cents, of free standing inserts about 10 cents, and of on page coupon about 12 to 18 cents.
Accordion-type folders are commonly encountered for sale in tourist areas. These folders feature pictures and views of the tourist attraction, generally together with the title and description of the attraction.